Melanastera granulosi, Serbina & Malenovský & Queiroz & Burckhardt, 2025

Serbina, Liliya Š., Malenovský, Igor, Queiroz, Dalva L. & Burckhardt, Daniel, 2025, Jumping plant-lice of the tribe Paurocephalini (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Liviidae) in Brazil, Zootaxa 5585 (1), pp. 1-164 : 117-118

62 Melanastera granulosi sp. nov.

( Figs 13K , 20G , 36G )

Type material. Holotype ♀: Brazil: RIO DE JANEIRO: Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Cachoeira Maromba , S22.4297, W44.6199, 1100 m, 17‒18.iv.2019, Pleroma granulosum (D. Burckhardt & D.L. Queiroz) #335(3) ( UFPR; slide; [LSMelgra-106]).

Paratypes. Brazil: RIO DE JANEIRO: 5 immatures, 2 skins, same as holotype but ( NHMB; slide, 70% ethanol; NMB-PSYLL0007893, NMB-PSYLL0007924 [LSMelgra-106], NMB-PSYLL0007925) .

Description. Adult. Coloration. Body pale yellow. Eyes dark. Antenna pale yellow, segment 8 with dark brown apex, segments 9–10 entirely dark brown. Mesopraescutum with two orange patches along the fore margin; mesoscutum with four broad orange longitudinal stripes. Forewing ( Fig. 20G ) pale yellow with whitish stripes along veins, lacking dark dots. Protarsus dark brown.

Structure. Head, in lateral view, inclined 45° from longitudinal body axis. Vertex ( Fig. 13K ) trapezoidal, with imbricate microsculpture and microscopic setae. Thorax moderately arched, with microscopic setae. Forewing ( Fig. 20G ) oblong-oval, with subparallel costal and anal margins, broadest slightly distal of the middle, broad rounded apically; wing apex in the middle of margin of cell r 2; C+Sc weakly curved in apical third; pterostigma slightly narrower in apical third than r 1 cell, curved in apical third; Rs straight, weakly curved to costal margin in apical quarter; M much longer than M 1+2 and M 3+4; Cu 1a straight in basal two thirds, curved to anal margin in apical third, ending at M fork; cell cu 1 narrow; surface spinules present in all cells, absent from basal half of cell c+sc, leaving broad spinule-free stripes along the veins, forming hexagons of a single row of spinules. Metatibia bearing 9 grouped apical spurs, arranged as 3 + 6, anteriorly separated by 1 bristle.

Terminalia. Male. Unknown.—Female terminalia ( Fig. 36G ) cuneate; densely covered with setae. Dorsal margin of proctiger, in lateral view, straight posterior to circumanal ring, apex blunt, in dorsal view, apex blunt; circumanal ring, in dorsal view, vaguely cruciform. Subgenital plate with long apical process; in lateral view, abruptly narrowing in apical half, pointed apically; in ventral view, apex blunt.

Fifth instar immature. Coloration. Pale yellow.

Structure. Eye with one long simple ocular seta dorsally. Antennal segments with following numbers of pointed sectasetae: 1(0), 2(1), 3(0), 4(2), 5(0), 6(2), 7(1), 8(1), 9(0), 10(0). Each forewing pad with 9–11 marginal sectasetae and ca. 30 large sectasetae or smaller lanceolate setae dorsally. Metatibiotarsus long; tarsal arolium broadly fan-shaped apically, 1.2 times as long as claws. Abdominal tergites anterior to caudal plate with three rows of 5–6, 7–8 and 15 pointed sectasetae dorsally, respectively. Caudal plate dorsally with one row of 14–18 pointed sectasetae along anterior margin, a row of 13–15 pointed sectesetae submedially, two groups of 2–3 pointed sectasetae on each side in the middle and one group of 4–6 pointed sectasetae on each side subapically, anterior to circumanal ring. Caudal plate large; anterior margin remote from anterior margin of extra pore fields. Extra pore fields forming continuous outer and inner bands, consisting of large and small oval and round patches; outer band relatively long medially, end pointing outwards. Circumanal ring small.

Host plant. Pleroma granulosum (Desr.) D.Don ( Melastomataceae ).

Distribution. Brazil (RJ).

Derivation of name. Named after its host, P. granulosum .

Comments. Melanastera granulosi sp. nov. resembles M. macaireae sp. nov. and M. tijuca sp. nov. in the narrow, yellow forewing with light stripes along the veins, from which it differs in the longer metatibia (MT 0.6 versus 0.4; MT/HW 1.1 versus <0.9) and the female terminalia (FP 0.6 versus 0.4).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Melanastera spp., head, dorsal view. A, M. atlantica sp. nov.; B, M. stanopekari sp. nov; C, M. sellowianae sp. nov.; D, M. simillima sp. nov.; E, M. trianae sp. nov.; F, M. cinerascentis sp. nov.; G, M. minutiflorae sp. nov.; H, M. cannabinae sp. nov.; I, M. prasinae sp. nov.; J, M. smithi (Burckhardt, Morais & Picanço); K, M. granulosi sp. nov.; L, M. sebiferae sp. nov.

FIGURE 20. Melanastera spp., forewing. A, M. trianae sp. nov.; B, M. cinerascentis sp. nov.; C, M. minutiflorae sp. nov.; D, M. cannabinae sp. nov.; E, M. prasinae sp. nov.; F, M. smithi (Burckhardt, Morais & Picanço); G, M. granulosi sp. nov.; H, M. sebiferae sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 36. Melanastera smithi (Burckhardt, Morais & Picanço). A, ♂ terminalia, lateral view; B, paramere, inner face, lateral view; C, distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; D, distal segment of aedeagus, dorsal view; E, paramere, dorsal view; F, ♀ terminalia, lateral view. G,—M. granulosi sp. nov., ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—H, M. sebiferae sp. nov., ♀ terminalia, lateral view.—Caudal plate, dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views, of fifth instar immature of Klyveria and Melanastera spp. I, K. classiflagellata (Burckhardt); J, M. moquiniastri sp. nov.; K, M. eremanthi sp. nov.; L, M. notia sp. nov. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.